Every year, thanks to a small plot of land, I manage to have wonderful organic olives, which I then preserve for the whole year. With this method, the Green Olives in Brine will stay perfect for up to two years and will always be ready to be used in various dishes, or they can be seasoned and used as a snack or for an aperitif. I can assure you that my Seasoned Green Olives are always a hit! The green olives in brine can be preserved either whole or crushed; however, while the former will be ready to eat sooner, within a couple of months, the whole ones will need a few more weeks to be completely sweet and lose their bitterness. Shortly after, I then proceed to preserve the black olives. Below, I leave you the links to choose the recipe that inspires you the most.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 60 Days
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Cooking time: 30 Minutes
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall
- Energy 73.17 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 2.06 (g) of which sugars 0.27 (g)
- Proteins 0.54 (g)
- Fat 7.68 (g) of which saturated 1.02 (g)of which unsaturated 6.32 (g)
- Fibers 1.71 (g)
- Sodium 2,716.11 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 50 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Green Olives in Brine
- 2.2 lbs green olives
- 4.2 cups water
- 3.5 oz salt
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 cloves
- 10 fennel seeds
- 3 black peppercorns
- 2 leaves bay leaves
Tools Needed for Green Olives in Brine
- 2 Bowls
- 1 Pot
- 1 Strainer
- 2 Jars
- 1 Cutting Board
Procedure for Green Olives in Brine
Let’s move on to the preparation of Green Olives in Brine. The harvesting period ranges from mid-September to mid-November, depending on the climate of the various regions of our peninsula. I live in Sicily and prefer to proceed with the harvest in the first week of October.
Choose beautiful olives without bruises. Remove the stem if present and wash them under running water. Let them drain for half an hour.
The olives can be preserved whole or crushed. In both cases, they should be placed in a large bowl that can contain them and cover them with cold water.
To crush the olives, you need a cutting board where you can place them, and you can use a meat tenderizer, a stone, a hammer, or a nutcracker to crush them.
Place the olives on the cutting board or on a surface that does not absorb liquids as it could stain. Give a sharp blow to each olive and immediately soak them in the bowl with water. Continue like this until you finish.
Place a plate or lid on top so that the olives are kept below the water level. This is to prevent, especially if the olives are crushed, them from oxidizing and turning dark.
The water should be changed twice a day, morning and evening, making sure to always repeat the operation of putting the plate on top to keep the olives submerged.
At the end of the third day, prepare the brine. Take a pot and add plenty of water, measuring the quantity, as salt will also need to be calculated.
Then add 3.5 oz of salt per 4.2 cups of water, a few crushed garlic cloves, fennel seeds, cloves, a few black peppercorns, and bay leaves.
The olives are not added; only salt and aromas are boiled. Consider at least ten minutes from when it starts to boil, and let the water cool down.
With a cloth, dry the olives and put them in perfectly clean and sterilized glass jars. Add the lukewarm water, filtering it with a strainer to avoid passing the aromas. Seal and store in a cool place.
The olives can be consumed after a couple of months. If they are whole, wait another fifteen days. When using them, rinse them under running water and use them as needed.
The green olives in brine are seasoned with extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, oregano, chopped chili peppers, chopped celery stalks, and crushed garlic. Let them rest for a few hours before consuming, so they absorb the flavors well.
Enjoy your tasting!
Annamaria’s Tips
If you love making bread at home, I suggest adding olives to your baked goods. The recipes can be found below:
BREAD WITH GREEN OLIVES BREAD STUFFED WITH OLIVES AND SUN-DRIED TOMATOES
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